Chapter 69 – Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

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Chapter 69 – Beset by rumors

A lofty position as an elite healer, contempt for others, so-called dedication to his Xiao Yi, and disdain for other women made up the character of Yao Jiaping. Yin Hanjiang wasn’t a particularly good actor, but along with Wenren È transmitting treatments to him, he could play the part well enough.

Seeing how Baili Qingmiao still acted so docile even though Yao Jiaping was grabbing her, Hè Wenzhao was trembling in rage. Pointing a finger at Yao Jiaping, he said, “I can’t believe, that after I treated you as a good friend and sworn brother, you would do this to me! Plus, your heart is stuck on your Xiao Yi, so what do you want my shimei for?”

“Oh,” Yin Hanjiang said slowly, enjoying Hè Wenzhao’s expression. He grabbed Baili Qingmiao’s dress and used it to wipe the hand he had just touched Elder Qingyue with. “This woman might be suited for being a rag.”

“Shimei! Are you happy being treated like this?” Hè Wenzhao shouted at Baili Qingmiao.

If it was Shu Yanyan playing the part, at this point she would probably be crying, unable to speak, putting on a no-holds-barred performance of a purehearted girl forced to dishonor herself for the sake of her sect. Too bad it was Wenren È here, though. Watching Yin Hanjiang play the part of Yao Jiaping, he was seeing another side of the man.

He was no longer grieving, but still as unrestrained.

So this was Yin Hanjiang’s true nature. He… truly wasn’t suited to be a sword cultivator. A sword cultivator needed to be bold in the beginning and reserved later on, until they reached the point of being a sword in of themselves, so that a blade was hidden in their every move and glance. Yin Hanjiang was only bold, so he had advanced quickly through the earlier stages, but became stuck at Void Boundary. Yet when he gave up the sword, he instantly broke through to the peak of Mahayana.

Wenren È simultaneously thought that he had gotten in the way of Yin Hanjiang’s growth, and felt this was quite a refreshing sight. Seeing how Yin Hanjiang put on a glove to grab Baili Qingmiao’s neck, he seemed so polite and cute, so how could Wenren È put up an act of being coerced?

Wenren È could only raise a sleeve to block the smile that he couldn’t hold back, turning his head aside and acting too ashamed to let Hè Wenzhao see his face, even though he was grinning inside.

He barely managed to stay in character. Hè Wenzhao believed that Baili Qingmiao had been broken after being abused, thinking she was unworthy of him and unable to look directly at him.

“Yao Jiaping, this marks the end of our—”

Before Hè Wenzhao could finish, the Sect Master moved before him with a flap of his sleeves and bowed to Yao Jiaping. “My shidi sustained this injury while saving Wenzhao and me, so I must repay him. Even if I can only give him five hundred years of life, he might yet find opportunities to advance. As the only Mahayana cultivator of Shangqing Sect, naturally it falls to me to save my shidi.”

The Sect Master looked at Baili Qingmiao, and after a moment of thought, said, “As for Sir Yao’s fee, in my humble opinion, Baili Qingmiao is unacceptable. She is a disciple of Shangqing Sect, and even if she has gone down the wrong path before, Shangqing Sect cannot give her away like an object. I’ve watched Baili Qingmiao grow up. She’s a kind and pure-hearted girl, and even if she’s a bit gullible, she would never do anything immoral. If Sir Yao needs a test subject or a rag, this lowly Daoist will do his best, but Baili Qingmiao cannot be given to you.”

Hearing his words, Yin Hanjiang and Wenren È sobered up again. Yin Hanjiang was naturally dark and a bit vicious, but he had been influenced by Wenren È since his youth, and approved of people who could give their own lives to protect others. Of course, if he didn’t know Wenren È was still alive, he wouldn’t have shown any mercy no matter how much he approved of someone. Knowing of Wenren È’s survival had mellowed out Yin Hanjiang a lot.

He stood up. “What use is a Foundation Establishment test subject? And why would I need Baili Qingmiao—it’s not like I don’t have rags. It was just a joke. As for my fee… we can talk after the treatment.”

Yin Hanjiang wrote down the transfer method and the medicinal prescription. The medicinal ingredients were common, so Shangqing Sect’s stocks had plenty of them. They could start refining the elixirs anytime, but it would take three to five days to finish, during which “Yao Jiaping” needed to look after it. Yin Hanjiang naturally knew nothing about refining elixirs. “Baili Qingmiao” had written the prescription, so he made Baili Qingmiao his assistant, helping him fan fires.

The Sect Master, after receiving the technique and prescription, treated them like treasures. He sat at Qingyue’s bedside, saying with joyful tears, “Shidi, there’s hope for you!”

“Shixiong…” Elder Qingyue reached out a hand, powerlessly grabbing the prescription and trying to tear it. “You can’t do this. You have hope for ascending. You mustn’t waste your gifts on me. Plus, the sect still needs you.”

The Sect Master said resolutely, “Shidi, some exchanges can’t be weighed in terms of value. It’s my wish to save you. Even if I’ll fall to the Foundation Establishment stage and my future cultivation will be arduous, it won’t be impossible. As for the sect, Wenzhao has already grown up, and I can rest easy leaving it to him.”

“Yao Jiaping” watched uncaringly at one side. The flesh underneath his skin twitched once, his expression dark.

Qingyue needed to take some medicines before he could withstand the transfer technique, so Yao Jiaping would be spending the next few days making elixirs. He forbade other people from entering and set up an array outside the room, shutting himself in with Baili Qingmiao.

Many rumors about Baili Qingmiao had already spread through the sect. After returning to his room, Hè Wenzhao had cussed out Yao Jiaping, which was overheard by Liu Xinye. She proceeded to spread the news around about Baili Qingmiao and Yao Jiaping within the sect, saying she had not only taken the Xuanyuan Sect Protector Qiu Congxue as master, but had also learned the art of plucking and replenishing from Right Protector Shu Yanyan and dual cultivated with Yao Jiaping to gain power. Afterwards, Yao Jiaping had treated her as a rag and thrown her away.

There were other rumors that Baili Qingmiao had raised her cultivation so fast because, in her thirty years of travel, she had dual cultivated with Zhongli Qian many times, and she didn’t even pass up her young disciple Su Huai. Other people said that Baili Qingmiao was perfectly healthy despite her bonded weapon having been broken because she had received favor from the two successive Xuanyuan Sect leaders during her stay.

In just two days, Baili Qingmiao was regarded within the sect as a woman who would sleep with anyone. The targets of the rumors, besides Yao Jiaping, just happened to be Wenren È, Zhongli Qian, Yin Hanjiang, and Su Huai, the four love interests of Abusive Romance.

In the original story, Liu Xinye also started these kinds of rumors in order to destroy Hè Wenzhao and Baili Qingmiao’s relationship. Hè Wenzhao misunderstood her for a long time and ignored her every time she tried to explain, treating her awfully for a while.

As the rumors spread, Yin Hanjiang and Baili Qingmiao were focused on refining elixirs.

It was mainly Baili Qingmiao doing all the work. Yin Hanjiang sat on a chair in the medicinal hall, holding God of Annihilation: Volume 2 and thinking.

He was trying to think of a method to make the victim of the transfer Hè Wenzhao.

The transfer required a Mahayana cultivator, so Hè Wenzhao wasn’t strong enough. But Yin Hanjiang saw he showed signs of a breakthrough. When he was confronting Yao Jiaping, he was so furious he nearly advanced on the spot.

In God of Annihilation 2, every time Baili Qingmiao was kidnapped, Hè Wenzhao would have a breakthrough before or during combat. Filled with righteous anger about his woman, he would score an underdog victory. Right now, if he tried to take on the wandering immortal Yao Jiaping at Void Boundary, the difference was too much even for an underdog. If he rose to Mahayana, he would have some hope.

And at Mahayana, he could participate in the transfer.

If Hè Wenzhao fell to Foundation Establishment, the Shangqing Sect Master had to watch helplessly as his sect’s future pillar was ruined, and Elder Qingyue lived the rest of his life in regret, then that sounded more fun than killing the lot.

The Shangqing Sect Master and Elder Qingyue were both stuffy righteous cultivators, so even if they were killed by demonic cultivators, they would die happily having given their lives for the righteous path, so there was no entertainment in killing them. It would be better to see them suffer.

Yin Hanjiang rearranged the skin over his face, so that Yao Jiaping’s skin smiled together with him.

Wenren È, watching him from one side: …

The hardest parts of refining elixirs were lighting the fires and retrieving the elixirs, while the process itself was simple, only needing the fire to be maintained. Wenren È had only been busy initially lighting the fire, while spending the rest of the two days idle.

Yin Hanjiang had nothing to say to Baili Qingmiao while they were together. One stayed inside and one outside, having nothing to do with each other. When Yin Hanjiang wasn’t paying attention, Wenren È would use the elixir furnace to block Yin Hanjiang’s sight as he read his two books.

When he read, he blocked Baili Qingmiao’s consciousness so that she wouldn’t be able to see the book’s contents, in order to prevent the readers from knowing that one of the characters they were reading was aware they were in a book.

The comments of God of Annihilation were united in flaming the author. No one could’ve imagined that Baili Qingmiao, who’d always been considered part of Hè Wenzhao’s harem, would’ve been stolen by his sworn brother. A lot of readers quit, disgusted by this NTR storyline, while many stayed, saying since they didn’t have to pay for the revision, they might as well read until the end and see what else this story could abuse the main character with.

The Abusive Romance readers were seeing through Baili Qingmiao’s point of view and knew that Yao Jiaping was Yin Hanjiang in disguise, and Wenren È was controlling Baili Qingmiao’s body. The protagonist herself knew everything that happened, but couldn’t interfere. Everything happening at Shangqing Sect was shown to the readers, and the comment section was on fire.

[Aaaaah! Now that Baili Qingmiao’s switched to the Path of Indifference, the author has changed the story’s category to no romance. After following this romance story for so long, it’s become a story about a female protagonist defying the heavens. I should complain, but how come it feels so refreshing?]

[It really is refreshing, the protagonist hasn’t been mistreated once in the revision. Every time the female villains or the male lead want to bully her, she’s been rescued by her violent sisters or handsome brothers.]

[“Violent sister”, what a good term. It fits a certain person perfectly.]

[You can say her name aloud. Elder Qingxue, my favorite Protector Qiu Congxue! An independent, unique woman who views physical beauty like dirt and wants nothing other than to become a skeleton. From the moment the protagonist saved Qiu Congxue in the war instead of the Demon Lord, the story’s been completely different.]

[Right, when Hè Wenzhao was injured, Qiu Congxue stopped the protagonist from sacrificing herself for him. When Hè Wenzhao slept with Liu Xinye, Elder Qingxue planned their wedding. When Hè Wenzhao got married, Qiu Congxue brought the protagonist to Xuanyuan Sect and tied her to Zhongli Qian, then the four of them rampaged across the world for thirty years. How is this an abusive romance? It’s been a comedy throughout!]

[Qiu Congxue did the most work, but coming in second has to be my Demon Lord. What kind of a brain does he have that can think of using a tracking curse and some heart-linking gu for matchmaking? The Demon Lord doesn’t understand love.]

[Third place is our Qian-Qian! I’m begging you, author, show him some mercy! In Xuanyuan Sect, Shu Yanyan’s indulging in men all day, Qiu Congxue’s always bullying people and getting bullied, Altar Master Miao is apparently developing a new bug, Altar Master Ruan must be hibernating like a tortoise with how little he appears, and Altar Master Shi spends all day being a boot-licker. Our Qian is the only one who does any work around here! With so many people in Xuanyuan Sect, don’t you feel guilty assigning everything to the newest Altar Master? Qian is about to lose his hair, think of his hair!]

[Fourth place is Yin Hanjiang, he really managed to change my opinion. Not only has he not turned the protagonist into a lamp, but he shook her awake and helped her enter the Path of Indifference.]

[In the original version, Yin Hanjiang made you feel like you were reading a horror story, but now he seems a bit moe, doesn’t he?]

[It was awesome when he kicked Hè Wenzhao.]

[And when he grabbed BLQM’s nape and said ‘I want her’, that was so cool! I think I’ve fallen for the overbearing yandere type.]

[I’ve always thought the best way to deal with a scumbag male was to have all the things he did to the female lead repaid to him, but that would be too pitiful for our little girl. But now, Yin Hanjiang’s given me the satisfaction. Hè Xisi, do you know how it feels now to watch the person you love be with someone else? Keep talking about forgiveness and generosity, it’s all a fantasy! There’s no room for a third in a relationship!]

[Well said! Though one question, who’s Hè Xisi?]

[From “If you learn the Dao in the morning, you can die happily in the evening[1]“. Scumbag Hè.]

[If the protagonist wasn’t cultivating the no romance path, I’d almost support her and Yin Hanjiang together, facepalm]

[Stop your dangerous thoughts, remember it’s Wenren È in Baili Qingmiao’s body now—Yin Hanjiang belongs to Wenren È!]

Wenren È ran a finger over those words, “Yin Hanjiang belongs to Wenren È”, and smiled slightly.

Abusive Romance was written from the protagonist’s point of view, but occasionally, when female villains tried to harm her, it would give a bit of an omniscient perspective, letting the readers see what awful things the villains were doing so they could worry.

Upon discovering what Liu Xinye had done, Wenren È was considering how he should strike back, when he heard Yin Hanjiang in the room. “Hey, rag— Baili Qingmiao. Come here.”

Wenren È quickly put away the books and went over, finding him smiling gleefully. He reached out a hand. “Hand me Liu Xinye’s spirit vow. This Lord has a plan.”

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I barely remember how to do footnotes

Thank you for reading. If there are any mistakes, I hope my fellow cultivators will offer guidance.

Please support the original author over on jjwxc.

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1. This is the proverb that Wenzhao comes from. It goes, “zhao wen dao, xi si ke yi”. So Wenzhao is “learn morning”, and the reader changed it to “die evening”. The author mentioned this in an author’s note very early on, as well as clarifying the pronunciation was zhao, not chao. I may not translate the author’s notes, but I read all of them. This isn’t really relevant, I’m just puzzled by a certain translator’s choices. ↩

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